Air conditioning units



April 14, 1964 P. B. MOORE AIR CONDITIONING UNITS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19, 1963 l'auZ B. Moore,

April 14, 1964 P. B. MOORE 3,128,610

AIR CONDITIONING UNITS Filed Feb. 19, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Paui B. Moore, y

United States Patent 3,128,610 AIR CONDITIONING UNITS Paul B. Moore, Staunton, Va., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Feb. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 259,657 8 Claims. (Cl. 62263) This invention relates to self-contained air conditioning units such as air coolers and heat pumps.

An air conditioning unit embodying this invention requires minimum floor space, and can be installed in many locations, such, for example, as partially coved in an exterior wall of a building, on a porch or balcony of a building, or within an equipment closet of a building. The inner and outer walls of the unit are removable for providing access to its equipment from either the inside of a building or from the outside of a building, depending upon the type of installation.

In one embodiment of this invention, an air conditioning unit is constructed in two sections, a lower, generally rectangular, outdoor air section containing an outdoor air, heat exchange coil, a pair of centrifugal fans, a refrigerant compressor and a control box, and an upper, rectangular, indoor air section containing an indoor air, heat exchange coil and a pair of centrifugal fans. The indoor air section instead of being located directly above the outdoor air section, is oif-set so that its inner and outer end walls are spaced inwardly from the inner and outer end walls respectively, of the outdoor air section. This leaves an outer space above the outer portion of the top of the outdoor section into which the fans of the outdoor section can discharge, and from which the discharged outdoor air can be directed through a duct extending horizontally outward, or through a duct extending vertically above the outdoor air section. This also leaves an inner space below the inner portion of the bottom of the indoor air section which has a recirculated air inlet opening therein, for a recirculated air plenum chamber. The unit has side walls which with the inner end wall of the outdoor section, the bottom of the unit, and the inner portion of the bottom of the inner section, form sides of the plenum chamber, the side of the chamber opposite the outdoor section being open, permitting a recirculated air grille to be placed in a partition or door of a building near the top of the plenum chamber for a high return, or near its bottom for a low return.

The outer end wall of the outdoor section has an outdoor air inlet opening therein, and is removable for providing access to the equipment within the outdoor section from that end. The inner end. wall of the outdoor section is also removable for providing access to the equipment within thev outdoor section from its inner end. Both end walls of the indoor section are removable for providing access to the equipment within the indoor section.

An object of this invention is to provide an air conditioning unit that is suited for location at many different parts of a building.

Another object of this invention is to conserve the space occupied by an air conditioning unit.

This invention will now be described with reference to the annexed drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a view from the outside of a building of the outdoor air inlet and outlet grilles of an air conditioning unit embodying this invention, with the outlines of the unit and its equipment shown by dashed lines;

FIG. 2 is a side section of the unit, showing its outdoor section partially coved within a building wall;

FIG. 3 is a section along the lines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a circuit schematic showing the electrical controls of the unit, and- FIG. 6 is a reduced scale, projected view of the unit.

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The unit has a lower, vertically extending, outer end wall 10, an intermediate, inwardly slanted, outer end wall 12, and has an upper, vertically extending, outer end wall 13 offset inwardly of the wall 10. The unit has similar side walls 15, a bottom wall 16 and a top wall 17.

Outdoor air section 9 of the unit has the wall 10 as its outer end wall, has the slanted wall 12 as part of its top wall, the other part of which is formed by a horizontally extending wall 18. The section 9 has an inner end wall 11 opposite and parallel to the wall 10. The side Walls 15 of the unit form the side walls of the section 9. A drain pan 22 forms the bottom of the section 9. The pan 22 has a drain connection 35. Supported within the section 9 on spaced-apart, horizontally extending angles 19 and vertically extending legs 20 is a refrigerant compressor 21. Supported within the section 9 between the inner portions of an upper flange 27 and a lower flange 28 is an outdoor air coil 29. The wall 10 has an opening containing an outdoor air inlet grille 30 aligned with the coil 29 and extending between the outer portions of the flanges 27 and 28. Extending through the slanted wall 12 are outlets 32 of a pair of spaced-apart centrifugal fans 33 Within the section 9, and which are driven by an electric motor 34 located midway between the fans.

A rectangular, metal control box 36 is located within the section 9 alongside the compressor 21, and is supported for rotation on a vertically extending shaft 37 from flanges 38 extending inwardly from one of the walls 15. The box 36 contains compressor motor starter relay MSR, relay CPR for the outdoor fan motor 34, relay IFR for an in-' door fan motor and a relay SR for a solenoid S of a reversal valve which is not shown, when the unit is a heat pump. These relays are shown by FIG. 5 of the drawings. The shaft 37 is hollow for receiving the wires which are not shown, to the equipment within the control box 36. The control box has removable side walls W1 and W2.

Indoor air section 40 of the unit has as its outer end wall, the wall 13, and has a Vertically extending, inner end wall 42 opposite and parallel to the wall 13. The section 40 has a horizontally extending bottom wall 43 having an outer portion on the wall 18, and having a recirculated air inlet opening 44 in its inner portion. The walls 15 form the side walls of the section 40, andthe wall 17 forms its top wall. The wall 17 has an air outlet opening 46 therein connected to an overhead, air distributing duct 47. A drain pan 48 extends between the walls 13 and 42, and supported from and above the pan 48 is a slanted, indoor air coil 50. Supported from the pan 48 between the latter and the bottom wall 43 of the section 40 are two spaced-apart, centrifugal fans 52 driven by an electric motor 53 located midway between the fans 52. Outlets 54 of the fans 52 extend through the bottom of the pan 48. The pan 48 is connected by a drain pipe 56 to a space slightly above the drain pan 22, so that condensate from the indoor air .coil 59 when it is acting as an air cooler can be drained into the pan 22 and then to waste through the drain connection 35.

The outer and inner walls 10 and 11 respectively, of the outdoor air section 9, and the outer and inner walls 13 and 42 respectively, of the indoor section 40 are removable for providing access to the equipment within the two sections from either front or back depending upon the type of installation. In the installation shown by FIGS. l-4 of the drawings, the section 9 is partially coved in an exterior wall 60 of a building, with the bottom wall 16 of the unit on a floor inside the building. The outdoor air grille 30 is in an opening in the Wall 60. There is anoutdoor air outlet grille 61 in another opening in the wall 60 opposite the fan outlets 32. A mat 62 of heat insulation spaces the end wall 13 from the adjacent inner surface of the wall 60.

There is a plenum chamber 63 formed in the space between the inner portions of the side walls 15, and between the air inlet opening 44 and the bottom wall 16 of the unit. The chamber 63 has an open inner end opposite the wall 11 which forms its outer end.

A wooden panel 64 which may be a door, separates the unit from indoor space 65, and has an opening in its lower portion opposite the open inner end of the plenum chamber 63 which contains a recirculated air inlet grille 66 with an air filter 67 at its inner side.

Tubing 70 connects the compressor 21 and the indoor air coil 29 and indoor air coil 50 in a conventional refrigerant circuit which may be a heat pump circuit such as is shown in FIG. 6 of the R. F. Lauer Patent No. 3,045,448.

FIG. of the drawings shows the electrical control circuit of the unit. Compressor motor CM of the compressor 21 is connected directly to electric supply line L2, and through switch MSRS of relay MSR to electric supply line L1. The outdoor fan motor 34 is connected directly to the line L2 and through switch OFRS of relay OFR to the line L1. The indoor fan motor 53 is connected directly to the line L2 and through switch IFRS of relay IFR to the supply line L1. A solenoid S used for adjusting the refrigerant reversal valve which is not shown, of the unit when the latter is a heat pump, is connected directly to the line L2 and through switch SRS of a relay SR to the supply line L1. The relays MSR, CPR and IFR are connected directly to the supply line L1, and through switch CTS of cool thermostat CT to the supply line L2, so that when the thermostat CT calls for cooling, it energizes the relays MSR, OFR and IFR which close their switches MSRS, OFRS and IFRS respectively, which energize the compressor motor CM, the outdoor fan motor 34, and the indoor fan motor 53 respectively.

A heat thermostat HT is connected directly to the supply line L2, and has a switch HTSI connected to the switch CTS so that when the heat thermostat HT calls for heat, the compressor and fan motors are energized. The heat thermostat HT has another switch HTS2 which connects the solenoid relay SR to the supply lines Ll and L2 when the thermostat HT calls for heat, causing the relay SR to close its switch SRS to connect the solenoid S to the supply lines, following which, the solenoid adjusts its associated reversal valve to its air heating position.

The wall 11 of the outdoor section 9 is removable for providing access to the compressor 21 and the other components within the section 9 from indoors. At the time of installation, the control box 36 is rotated about its shaft 37 to the full line position shown by FIG. 4 so that when the wall 11 of the outdoor section is removed for providing access from indoors, the side wall W1 of the box 36 can be removed for providing access from indoors to the relays and other equipment within the control box 36.

The unit can also be mounted within an equipment closet or on a porch or balcony with access from outdoors, in which installations, the wall of the outdoor section can be removed for providing access to the interior of the outdoor section. At the times of such installations, the control box 36 would be rotated about the shaft 37 to the dashed-line position of FIG. 4 so that its side wall W2 can be removed for providing access from outdoors to the components within the control box.

When the unit is mounted in an equipment closet or on a porch or balcony, an outdoor air discharge duct can be connected to the outlets 32 of the outdoor air fans 33, and placed, due to the off-set of the indoor air unit 40, vertically above the fan outlets 32, thus conserving space.

Due to the open inner side of the plenum chamber 63 extending from the bottom of the unit of the recirculated air inlet 44 of the indoor section, the panel 64 of FIG. 2 can be provided with a low recirculated air grille 66 as shown, or can be provided with a high recirculated air grille without change in noise or efficiency.

In operation, the outdoor air fans 33 draw outdoor air into the outdoor air section 9 through the grille 30, through the outdoor air coil 29, over the compressor 21 and control box 36, and discharge the air through the grille 61 back to outdoors. The indoor fans 52 draw indoor air from the indoor space 65, through the grille 66 and filter 67 into the plenum chamber 63 from which it passes through the opening 44 into the indoor air section 46, passing within the latter through the indoor air coil and then through the outlet opening 46 into the dis tribution duct 47.

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioning unit comprising a lower outdoor air section having upwardly extending outer and inner ends; an upper indoor air section having upwardly extending outer and inner ends, on said outdoor section; said outdoor section having a top portion spaced outwardly from the bottom of said outer end of said indoor section, said indoor section having a bottom portion spaced inwardly from the top of said inner end of said outdoor section, said outer end of said outdoor section having an outdoor air inlet opening in its lower portion, said top portion of said outdoor section having an outdoor air outlet opening therein; a heat exchange coil, a refrigerant compressor, and a fan within said outdoor section, said fan being positioned to draw outdoor air through said inlet opening, to move the outdoor air through said coil and over said compressor, and to discharge the outdoor air through said outlet opening; said bottom portion of said indoor section having a recirculated air inlet opening therein, the top of said indoor section having a conditioned air outlet opening therein; an indoor air heat exchange coil, and an indoor air fan within said indoor section, said indoor fan being positioned to draw indoor air through said recirculated air opening, to move the indoor air through said indoor coil, and to discharge the indoor air through said conditioned air outlet opening, said coils and said compressor being connected in a closed refrigeration circuit.

2. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 1 in which said unit has a bottom below said sections, in which said sections have common side walls with inner ends at and below said inner end of said indoor section and forming with said bottom of said unit and said bottom portion of said indoor section, a plenum chamber having an open inner end below said inner end of said indoor section.

3. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 2 in which said outdoor section has a drain pan at its bottom, in which said indoor section has a drain pan below said indoor coil, and in which a drain pipe is provided within said unit for draining water condensed on said indoor coil and falling into said last mentioned drain pan, into said first mentioned drain pan.

4. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 1 in which said outdoor section has a drain pan at its bottom, in which said indoor section has a drain pan below said indoor coil, and in which a drain pipe is provided within said unit for draining water condensed on said indoor coil and falling into said last mentioned drain pan, into said first mentioned drain pan.

5. An air conditioning unit comprising a lower outdoor air section having a vertically extending, outer end wall, having :a vertically extending, inner end wall opposite and spaced from said outer wall and having an upper portion extending upwardly beyond the upper end of said outer wall, said section having a top wall portion extending from the top of said inner wall horizontally towards and part way to said outer wall, and having a slanted top wall portion extending from the outer end of said top wall portion to the top of said outer wall, said slanted portion having an outdoor air outlet opening therein, said outer wall having an outdoor air inlet opening in its lower portion, an outdoor air heat exchange coil within said section opposite said inlet opening, an outdoor fan within said section between said coil and said outlet opening, a refrigerant compressor within said section between said fan and coil, said fan being positioned to draw outdoor air through said inlet opening and coil and over said compressor and to discharge the outdoor air through said outlet opening; an indoor air section having vertically extending, spaced-apart, outer and inner end walls off-set horizontally inward of said outer and inner end walls respectively of said outdoor section, said indoor section having a bottom wall with an outer portion on said first mentioned top wall portion of said outdoor section and having an inner portion with a recirculated air inlet opening therein spaced inwardly of said inner wall of said outdoor section, said indoor section having a top wall with a conditioned air outlet opening therein, said unit having side Walls forming the side walls of said sections, an indoor air heat exchange coil within said indoor section below said conditioned air outlet opening, and an indoor air fan within said indoor section between said indoor coil and said recirculated air inlet opening and positioned to draw indoor air through said recirculated air inlet opening and to move the indoor air through said indoor coil and to discharge the indoor air through said conditioned air outlet opening, said coils and said compressor being connected in an closed refrigeration circuit.

6. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 5 in which said unit has a bottom wall below said outdoor section and which extends below said inner portion of said bottom wall of said indoor section, and in which said side walls of said outdoor section extend inwardly beyond its said inner end wall with their inner ends below said inner wall of said indoor section and forming with said bottom wall of said unit and said inner portion of said bottom wall of said indoor section, a plenum chamber having an open inner end below said inner end wall of said indoor section.

7. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 6 in which said outdoor section has a bottom Wall formed as a drain pan, in which there is provided within said indor section below said indoor coil, a drain pan, and in which a drain pipe is provided within said unit for draining water from said last mentioned drain pan into said first mentioned drain pan.

8. An air conditioning unit as claimed in claim 5 in which said outdoor section has a bottom wall formed as a drain pan, in which there is provided within said indoor section below said indoor coil, a drain pan, and in which a drain pipe is provided within said unit for draining water from said last mentioned drain pan into said first mentioned drain pan.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,975,859 Nelson Oct. 9, 1934 2,934,324 Partin gton Apr. 26, 1960 3,045,448 Lauer July 24, 1962 3,097,506 Blakesley July 16, 1963 

1. AN AIR CONDITIONING UNIT COMPRISING A LOWER OUTDOOR AIR SECTION HAVING UPWARDLY EXTENDING OUTER AND INNER ENDS; AN UPPER INDOOR AIR SECTION HAVING UPWARDLY EXTENDING OUTER AND INNER ENDS, ON SAID OUTDOOR SECTION; SAID OUTDOOR SECTION HAVING A TOP PORTION SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID OUTER END OF SAID INDOOR SECTION, SAID INDOOR SECTION HAVING A BOTTOM PORTION SPACED INWARDLY FROM THE TOP OF SAID INNER END OF SAID OUTDOOR SECTION, SAID OUTER END OF SAID OUTDOOR SECTION HAVING AN OUTDOOR AIR INLET OPENING IN ITS LOWER PORTION, SAID TOP PORTION OF SAID OUTDOOR SECTION HAVING AN OUTDOOR AIR OUTLET OPENING THEREIN; A HEAT EXCHANGE COIL, A REFRIGERANT COMPRESSOR, AND A FAN WITHIN SAID OUTDOOR SECTION, SAID FAN BEING POSITIONED TO DRAW OUTDOOR AIR THROUGH SAID INLET OPENING, TO MOVE THE OUTDOOR AIR THROUGH SAID COIL AND OVER SAID COMPRESSOR, AND TO DISCHARGE THE OUTDOOR AIR THROUGH SAID OUTLET OPENING; SAID BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID INDOOR SECTION HAVING A RECIRCULATED AIR INLET OPENING THEREIN, THE TOP OF SAID INDOOR SECTION HAVING CONDITIONED AIR OUTLET OPENING THEREIN; AN INDOOR AIR HEAT EXCHANGE COIL, AND AN INDOOR AIR FAN WITHIN SAID INDOOR SECTION, SAID INDOOR FAN BEING POSITIONED TO DRAW INDOOR AIR THROUGH SAID RECIRCULATED AIR OPENING, TO MOVE THE INDOOR AIR THROUGH SAID INDOOR COIL, AND TO DISCHARGE THE INDOOR AIR THROUGH SAID CONDITIONED AIR OUTLET OPENING, SAID COILS AND SAID COMPRESSOR BEING CONNECTED IN A CLOSED REFRIGERATION CIRCUIT. 